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Allah – Dhul ‘Arsh:
(The Lord of the Throne)
“Surely, your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the
earth in six periods, and then He settled Himself firmly on the
Throne…” (7:55)
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In this verse of Surah Al- A’raf ( ) the Holy
Quran declares that after creating the heavens and the earth,
after creating everything that exists – living and non-living,
Allah (subhanaho wa ta’ala) settled Himself on His Throne.
And in Surah Al-Mu’min ( ), the Holy Quran
further says:
“His are the most exalted stations and attributes; He is the Lord
of the Throne...” (40:16).
However, if we read the story of creation in the Bible, it is
written in the book of Genesis that God finished the creation of
the heavens and the earth and all the hosts therein in six days,
and then “He rested on the seventh day from all His work... And
God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He
had rested from all His work which God created and made.”
(Gen. 2. 2, 3)
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Now, when we compare these two accounts -- one of the
Holy Quran, and the other of the Bible, obviously these two
carry very different implications: The Bible says that after
finishing the work of creation God “rested”. It indicates as if
God was fatigued and exhausted after finishing His work of
creation! Therefore, to diminish this impression that God was
fatigued, the Biblical scholars try to explain the words of the
Bible that God “rested” by saying that God’s inactivity on the
seventh day means that “He was satisfied with the work He
had done.” *
*(See the Footnote of Gen.2.2 in NKJV Study Bible, p.6).
However, differing with the Biblical account, the Holy
Quran states that after completing the cosmic creation, God
settled Himself on the Throne. And settling on the Throne
clearly indicates that God was not fatigued or exhausted.
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On the contrary, it means that God manifested His Majesty
and Glory as the Sovereign of the Universe that He had
created, and His awesome Power to sustain everything
continued ceaselessly.
We all know that a throne is a seat on which a monarch
sits to perform his stately functions, and he enforces the laws
under his royal command and authority. A throne, therefore,
is an important symbol of sovereignty, dignity and
enforcement of a king’s imperial power. That is the reason why
the kings, queens and monarchs take special care to make their
royal thrones look splendid and magnificent.
There are thrones that are famous for their elegance and
splendor -- such as the Dragon Throne of the Chinese
Emperors, the Phoenix Throne of the Kings of Korea, the
Golden Stool of the African Ashanti Kings, and the Peacock
Throne of the Mughal and Persian Emperors.
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Not only do kings and queens use thrones as their seats of
royal authority, power and glory, but some heads of religious
organizations also utilize thrones to designate their priestly
rule and authority over their followers in faith. For instance,
some of the Catholic Bishops use thrones as their formal seats.
A Bishop’s primary church is called a Cathedral, and this
name “Cathedral” is derived from the Greek word ‘cathedra’
which means ‘throne’. The famous throne of the Pope as the
Bishop of Rome and the head of the Roman Catholic Church is
called ‘Cathedra Romana.’ Similarly, the Dalai Lamas of
Tibet used to sit on a throne called the Lion Throne.
A beautiful and magnificent throne is also mentioned in
the Holy Quran, in Surah Al Naml that belonged to the Queen
of Saba. It is written that Hazrat Suleiman ( )
ordered to construct a throne that was even better and grander
than the throne of the Queen of Saba. (REF: 27:24, 39, 42, 43.)
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Later, Hazrat Suleiman (alaihis salam)’s famous throne
became a legend, and it is said that it was made of ivory and
was covered with gold, and encrusted with rubies, sapphires,
emeralds and other precious stones that radiated dazzling and
most fascinating hues.
(REF: CHABAD.ORG: PURIM – King Solomon’s Throne)
Thus, it becomes easy to understand that the use of the word
Al-‘Arsh or “The Throne” in the Holy Quran is far more
significant, and it has very special meaning -- different from
that of the Biblical statement that God “rested” on the seventh
day. The Holy Quran is very clear, as stated in Ayat-ul Kursi
(2:256) that Allah (subhanaho wa ta’ala) never gets tired or
exhausted: “Slumber seizes Him not, nor sleep”….“His Throne
extends over the heavens and the earth; taking care of them does
not fatigue Him…”
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Now, let us try to understand what it really means that Allah is
Dhul ‘Arsh – ( ) the Lord of the Throne?
Metaphorically speaking, the Throne of Allah means His
ineffable Sublime Station that is far above and beyond
everything that He has created.
Hazrat Masih-e-Maud (A.S) in his book Chashma-e-Ma’rifat
( ) elaborates this point by saying:
“In the beginning, all creation was non-existent, and God
Almighty was manifesting all of His grandeur at a station
that is beyond anyone’s imagination. And that station is
known as the Throne.
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That is, the station which is higher and better than all the
worlds. And there was nothing else except His Being, and
it was His manifestation and reflection alone. Then, He
created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them.
When all of His creation was materialized, He then
concealed Himself, and desired that He should be
recognized through His created works.”
(Chashma-e-Ma’rifat, Ruhani Khazain. Vol. 23, page 274.) (The Essence of
Islam, Vol. 1, p. 58.)
In his book Tasdeek-e-Braheen-e-Ahmadiyya
Hazrat Alhaj Maulana Nur-ud-Din, Khalifatul Masih 1st
rebutting the objection as if God has a body, and He is
sitting on a material throne, says:
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“It is not a belief of the Muslims that ‘Arsh (or the
Throne) is anything physical and created on which God is
sitting. Read the Holy Quran in its entirety and you will
find nowhere that God’s ‘Arsh or Throne is limited or
something created. In the Holy Quran, Allah has
repeatedly claimed that He is the Creator of everything
that is substantive – having an entity. He is the Creator of
the heavens and the earth, the souls and all of their
powers and faculties; and He exists on His own
independently, and everything else is sustained by Him;
and every particle that exists is His creation. But nowhere
did He say that the ‘Arsh or the Throne has a physical
body that He has created.”
Thus, Allah the Exalted being the Lord of the Throne
means that Allah’s station is the Highest of the High. He is far
above and beyond anyone’s imagination and comprehension,
and that He exhibits His Majesty and His eternal authority
through His creation. It means that remaining invisible from
His created things; He continues to enforce His eternal laws to
run the material and spiritual worlds. The ‘Arsh is the perfect
manifestation of Allah’s attributes of Jamal and Jalal –
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Of Beauty and Majesty. Thus His Sublime, Exalted, Holy and
unreachable awesome station is called His ‘Arsh, His Throne.
For this very reason in the Holy Quran His Throne has also
been called, as Arsh-il-Azeem ( ) (9: 129),
Arsh-il-Kareem ( ) (23:117),
And Arsh-il-Majeed ( ) (85:16)
That is, the Mighty Throne, the Glorious Throne, and the
Throne of Honor.
The Holy Quran makes it further clear that to Allah Dhul
‘Arsh alone belong the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth:
In Surah Al-Baqarah (2:108), it is stated:
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“Don’t you know that the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth
belongs to Allah alone? And there is no protector or helper for
you besides Allah.”
The Holy Quran emphatically declares that Allah --The Lord
of the Throne is the King upon Kings, He is the Sovereign of
the Sovereigns:-
In Surah Al-‘Imran ( ) the Holy Quran states:
`
“Say, ‘O Allah, Lord of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to
whomsoever You please; and You take away sovereignty from
whomsoever You please’.” (3:27).
An important point to note is that Allah the Exalted has
established a close relationship with all of His creation,
especially with humans -- the best of all the creations (Ashraf-
al-makhlooqaat) (REF: 95:5).
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However, despite His close connection with His creation as
their Creator*, and despite Him being nearer to man than his
jugular vein**, Allah the Exalted still remains remote from all
of His created things. That is why He does not appear in any
visible material shape or image; and He certainly does not
appear in any human form.
Unfortunately, there are some religions, and even some
mystical schools of thought within Islam, that mistakenly
believe in the doctrine that “Everything is God”. This dogma is
known as Hama Oost ( ) that is, there is no
distinction between the Creator and the creation. But it is
absolutely wrong to think that there is no difference between
God and His creation. Actually, the true and valid doctrine is
Hama az Oost ( ) that is, Although Allah
encompasses everything, nothing in itself is God, and all that
exists is from God.
*(REF: 65:13; 2:87) ** (REF: 50:17)
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Another important point that needs to be understood
properly is how Allah the Exalted as being the Lord of the
Throne relates to our moral and spiritual righteousness and
our good conduct. This special relationship is referred to in
Surah Hud where it is mentioned that Allah’s ‘Arsh – or
Allah’s Throne is sitting upon water:
“And He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six
periods, --- and His Throne rests on water --- that He might try
you which of you is best in conduct…” (11:8).
As we do understand that Allah’s settling on the Throne is a
metaphor, similarly, His Throne resting on water is also a
metaphorical expression.
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In the Holy Quran ‘water’ is mentioned not only as the most
important source of the physical life on earth, but also the term
‘water’ is used as the most important source of our spiritual
life:
In Surah Al-Anbiya (21; 31), Allah says:
“…And We made of water every living thing…”
Again, in Surah Al-Furqan, (25:55), it is written:
“And He it is Who has created man from water...”
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Now, the scientific research and findings have made it
evident that all forms of life depend on water which is in the
oceans, lakes and rivers, and it descends on land from clouds in
the form of rain, snow or hail. The rain water that comes down
from above quickens and nourishes the earth that has been dry
and infertile. In Surah Ha Mim Al-Sajdah, Allah says:
“And of His Signs is that you see the earth lying withered,
but when We send down water on it, it stirs and swells with
abundance of greenery. Surely, He Who quickens it, can quicken
the dead also. Verily, He has power over all things.” (41: 40)
In the same manner, spiritual water descends from
heavens in the form of Divine revelations, without which
spiritual life is withered and cannot exist. Divine revelations
descend on the hearts of the Prophets of God in great
abundance to give spiritual life to mankind.
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We also know that it was through obeying the Divine
revelation that Hazrat Ibrahim ( ) left his
progeny in the barren, lifeless wilderness of Paran in Arabia,
where the spring water of Zamzam gushed out, and later the
town of Mecca developed around it -- a thriving town humming
with life, and where the greatest life-giving Messenger of Allah,
Hazrat Muhammad-e-Mustafa (s.a.w.s.) appeared to give
spiritual life to entire mankind:
In Surah Al-Anfal ( ) Allah says:
“O, ye who believe! Respond to Allah and the Messenger
when he calls you, so that he may give you life, and know that
Allah comes in between a man and his heart, and that He it is
unto Whom you will be gathered.” (8:25),
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Thus the Throne of God settling on water means that
Allah grants us our spiritual life through Divine revelations,
and asks us to drink deep from His revealed Scriptures, and to
gain His knowledge and recognition through His Signs and
attributes, and be fully satiated in this life and be successful in
the Hereafter!
Another important thing to understand is the connection
of Allah’s Angels with Allah’s Throne.
In Surah Al-Haaqqah ( ) we read:
“So that when a single blast is sounded on the trumpet,
And the earth and the mountains are heaved up, and then
crushed in a single crash,
On that day shall the great Event come to pass.
And the heaven will cleave asunder, and it will be very frail that
day.
And the angels will be standing on its borders, and above them
on that day eight Angels will bear the Throne of thy Lord.
(69:14-19)
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Now, the question arises: What signifies that the Throne of the
Lord shall be carried by eight Angels on the Day of
Resurrection, and all other angels shall be standing around it?
To understand this subtle point, we have to know that the
angels of Allah the Exalted are His agencies who bear and
reflect Allah’s attributes, working behind the scenes, and they
execute Allah’s Will on His command.
In the Holy Quran, two types of attributes of Allah are
mentioned: First, Tashbihi ( ) or “attributes of
similitude” that have some apparent resemblance with human
faculties and qualities. And the second, Tanzihi ( )
or “transcendent attributes” that are unique to Allah alone
and no one shares them to any degree at all, and no one else
has any resemblance with Him in having these unique
attributes.
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In Surah Al-Fatiha, which is the essence of the entire
Quranic teaching, the four fundamental Tashbihi or attributes
of similitude are mentioned, namely, He is the Creator, the
Gracious, the Merciful, and Master of the Day of Judgment,
and around these four attributes all other Divine Tashbihi
attributes revolve. And in Surah Al-Ikhlas, Allah’s four
fundamental Tanzihi attributes are mentioned; that He is One
and Alone in His person, He is Independent and besought of
all, He begets not, nor is He begotten, and there is none like
unto Him.
Allah’s Throne being carried by eight angels, and other
angels standing around it -- means that it shall be through
these eight fundamental attributes of Allah that all of His other
attributes shall come into full light. And thus God’s Glory shall
be manifested completely on the Day of Resurrection when the
present order of creation shall be totally consummated.
On that Day, God’s Unity and all of His beautiful and
superb Divine attributes shall be seen in their complete
splendor and brilliance.
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To summarize, Allah’s Throne is a symbolic expression
that indicates His ineffable Sublime, Exalted, Holy, and
unreachable station; and all Sovereignty of the Universe
belongs to Him alone. His Laws are fully enforced under His
domain. He encompasses all of His creation and yet He
remains completely distinct from His creations. He is the
Originator and Provider of life in all its forms – physical as
well as spiritual, and He conducts all affairs of physical and
spiritual universes through His governing Laws. And all of His
sacred and awesome attributes whether Tashbihi or Tanzihi –
of Similitude or Transcendent, and all His attributes of Jamal
and Jalal – of Beauty and of Majesty -- shall be manifested to
us in their full glory in the Hereafter.
In conclusion, let me read an extract from Hazrat Masih-e-
Maud (A.S.) in Urdu from his book Nasim-e-Da’wat
( ) along with its translation:
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“Our soul and every particle of our being prostrates before the
Mighty, True and Perfect God from Whose hand every soul and
every particle of creation -- together with all its faculties -- came
into existence.
And through Whose support every being is sustained. Nothing is
outside His knowledge, outside His control, or outside His
creation.
How majestic is His power that nothing comes into existence
without His command, and nothing can continue to exist without
its support.